Apparatus for guiding a fleece

ABSTRACT

A web guide plate is positioned above the web tray so as to direct the web onto the tray after passing from the detachment rollers. The guide plate is spaced in the plane of the nip between the detachment rollers and includes an inclined portion which serves to direct the web onto the tray. The amplitude of the web undulations is reduced so as to avoid any breaks in the fibers at the crests of the peaks. the annular member in another cycle of operation to cut the slice. Movement of the support member is also controlled by circuitry interconnected with that for controlling movement of the pivotal members.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Hansulrich Eichenberger;

Peter Schwengeler, Winterthur, Switzerland 21 1 Appl. No. 754,800

[22] Filed Aug. 23, 1968 [45] Patented May 11, 1971 [73] Assignee Rieter Machine Works, Ltd.

Winterthur, Switzerland [32] Priority Sept. 6, 1967 [3 3 Germany [54] APPARATUS FOR GUIDING A FLEECE Primary Examiner -Dorsey Newton Attorney-Kenyon and Kenyon, Reilly, Carr & Chapin ABSTRACT: A web guide plate is positioned above the web tray so as to direct the web onto the tray after passing from the detachment rollers. The guide plate is spaced in the plane of the nip between the detachment rollers and includes an inclined portion which serves to direct the web onto the tray. The amplitude of the web undulations is reduced so as to avoid any breaks in the fibers at the crests of the peaks. the annular member in another cycle of operation to cut the slice. Movement of the support member is also controlled by circuitry interconnected with that for controlling movement of the pivotal members.

Patented May 11, 1971 3,577,845

APPARATUS FOR GUIDING A FLEECE This invention relates to an apparatus for guiding a web. More particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus for guiding a web ejected from textile combining machines.

It has been known that in the combing of textiles to convey a web upon a web tray or plate upon passing from detaching rollers which may operate under the known pilgrim-step principle and which eject the web to uniformly rotating sliver delivery or calendar rollers. It has also been known that the web does not travel smoothly into the web tray since the web on leaving the detachment rollers has a tendency to lie in folds due to the intermittent operation of the detachment rollers. Instead, the web moves in waves along the web tray towards a funnel usually located in the front of the delivery or calendar rollers.

During operation of such heretofore known structures, the web which has been ejected in the preceeding cycle lies flat as the detaching rollers move backward. However, upon forward movement of the detaching rollers the newly ejected web comes into contact with the preceeding flat or smooth web. This results in congestion such that the newly ejected web is deflected upwardly from the nip line of the detaching rollers to produce folds or waves along with the preceeding smooth web. These folds or waves in the web may be regarded as deflections which occur immediately after the web leaves the detaching rollers in proximity of the nip line and which are at their greatest amplitude at the point where the web leaves the detaching rollers. Thereafter, the web moves with decreasing deviations onto the web tray and is guided towards the funnel.

In the event of a maximum deflection, as seen from the nip line of the detaching rollers upon ejection, the web bends very appreciably and then falls onto the bottom of the web tray. The web then moves in an undulating path with decreasing amplitudes for individual deflections. It has been found that the larger the number of combing cycles completed by the combing machine per unit of time, the greater the first deflection occuring immediately after the web has been ejected from the detaching rollers and hence the greater the fold in the web. Such pronounced deflections of the web in the upward direction from the detaching rollers at the point of reversal, i.e. that region in the deflection of the web at which the web is folded back in the opposite direction and itself undergoes maximum deflection, leads to separation or breakage of the fibers at the points at which they are joined. This ultimately results in deflective drafting. Additionally, through ejection, the web may also come into contact with and remain on adjoining parts of the machine, such for example as a clearer which is normally positioned above the detachment rollers. This results in further weakening of the fibers at the points at which they are joined. Consequently, in the past, in order to prevent separation or breakage of the joints between individual fibers and hence to avoid formation of a weak zone, the number of combing cycles completed by the combing machine per unit of time has been kept below a certain limit.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to prevent the formation of excessive deflections in a web being ejected from the detachment rollers of a combing machine.

It is another object of the invention to prevent separation or breaking of the fibers of a web during passage between the detachment rollers and calendar rollers of a combing machine.

It is another object of the invention to eliminate the possibility of defective drafiing due to separation of the fibers of a web upon conveyance from a combing machine.

Briefly, this invention provides a combing machine with a web guide plate positioned between the detachment rollers of the combing machine and a pair of calendar rollers. The guide plate is positioned with respect to the components of the combing machine so as to prevent the web from being deflected upwardly to a degree which would cause separation or breakage of the fibers in the web. To this end, the guide plate is positioned with respect to the nip line of the detaching rollers above a web tray of the combing machine. The web guide plate has a rear portion which lies above the plane of the detachment rollers in a parallel or inclined plane thereto and a forward portion which is parallel or inclined to the rear portion to positively direct the web being ejected from the detachment rollers towards the web tray.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a guide plate in position between the detachment rollers and calendar rollers of a combing machine according to the invention; and

FIG. 2 illustrates a fragmentary perspective view of the web guide plate and detachment rollers.

Referring to FIG. 1, the combing machine directs a web 1 through a plurality of fixedly mounted detachment rollers 2, 2 from a nipper 3 and a comb 4 as is known. In addition, the combing machine includes a lever 5 which carries a clearer 1 1 above the pairs of detaching rollers 2, 2' and which also mounts a segment 6 thereon which carries a web guide plate 7 projecting into the free path of the ejected web (FIG. 2). The lever 5 is pivotal so as to open frontwardly about a pivot C spaced downstream of the detaching rollers with respect to the flow of web. in addition, the center point of the baseline of segment 6 and the center of rotation C of the lever 5 coincide so that when the lever 5 is swung open the web guide plate 7 also moves about the center of rotation C to expose the underside surface F. The clearer 11 is positioned opposite the bottom of a web tray or plate 8 while the web guide plate 7 is preferably arranged to extend toward a funnel 9 located in front of a pair of calendar rollers 10. The web guide plate 7 extends from a point near the upper rollers of the front pair of the detachment rollers 2 in the proximity of and at least in the plane of connecting line D between the upper rollers of the pairs of detachment rollers 2, 2 and continues on an incline towards the nip lines G (only one of which is shown in FIG. 2) of the pairs of the rollers 2, 2' and terminates on the detaching plane E. In addition each segment 6 is angularly adjustable on the lever 5 by means of set screws 6' which pass through elongated slots 6" in this segment 6 so that the guide plate 7 is angularly adjustable with respect to the clearer 11. Thus the guide plate 7 can be either fixedly mounted on the segment 6 so as to be removable via the screws 6 together with the segment 6 or can be slidably removable from the segment 6, for example, through a slot in the segment 6 for insertion of the guide plate 7.

Referring to FIG. 2, the web guide plate 7 is sized to extend over more than the entire width of the pair of deflecting rollers 2. It is noted that there are no limits to the shape or thickness of the web guide plates. However, for purposes of exemplification, the plate is shown flat on both sides and is of a 6 millimeter thickness. In addition, the guide plate 7 is disposed so that the included angle between the guide plate 7 and the plane of the nip is smaller than the included angle between the web tray 8 and the horizontal plane. Also, the plate 7 is of a length of at most the length of said web tray.

The web guide plate 7 has a smooth undersurface F made of a material which does not exert any damaging electrostatic influences on the web 1. For example, the web guide plate 7 or at least the surface F consists of a metallic or nonmetallic material such as glass. When made of glass, for example, triplex glass, the guide plate 7 allows viewing of the web 1 upon ejection from the detaching rollers 2.

In operation, the web 1 is drawn off from the nipper 3 through the fixed comb 4 by the pairs of detaching rollers 2, 2'. Thereafter, the web is deflected upwardly by the pair of detaching rollers 2 away from the detaching plane E of the rollers 2, 2' to come into contact with the web guide plate 7, for example, at a point B at which point it is steered towards the detaching plane E of the detaching rollers. The web then moves, for example, with at least a reciprocating movement between the web guide plate 7 and the bottom of the web tray. Thereafter, the web moves through an undulating path follow ing deflections or deviations A, A of decreasing amplitude outside the guide zone formed by the web guide plate 7 and the bottom of the web tray 8 towards the funnel 9 arranged in front of the calendar rollers 10.

By way of comparison, FIG. 1 shows in dotted line the path that would be followed by a web leaving the detaching rollers 2 in the absence of the web guide plate 7. In this case, the web would be deflected upwardly away from the detaching plane E along the path V, up to a maximum deflection range B and would thereafter drop down towards the bottom of the web tray 8 reaching the path V,,. The web would then remain in this path and would continue movement towards the funnel 9. In the case of high speed combing machines the web would be deflected into the path V, immediately upon leaving the detaching rollers 2 while in the case of low speed combing machines the web would be deflected along the path V up to the deflection range B.

In the presence of the web guide plate 7, on the other hand, the web moves through the path V, up to the deflection range B at high combing speeds. That is, in the presence of the web guide plate 7 the deflections are reduced to an extent that could only be approached at low combing speeds in the absence of the web guide plates.

The invention thus provides a combing machine with an apparatus for guiding a web which permits the combing machine to be used at high speeds without incurring any breakage or separation in the fibers of the web at the points of reversal in the path of movement of the web.

We claim:

1. In combination with a rectilinear combing machine having at least one pair of fixedly mounted rotatable detaching rollers forming a nip for ejecting a web and a stationary web tray extending from said combing machine below said detaching rollers; a web guide plate above said web tray projecting into the free path of the ejected web for directing the web between said web tray and guide plate, said guide plate having a surface facing said web tray and said nip and extending from a plane above the detaching plane of said detaching rollers in front of the upper roller of said detaching rollers and being of a length of at most the length of said web tray.

2. The combination as set forth in claim l wherein said guide plate is of greater longitudinal width than said detaching rollers.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said surface is smooth. 7

4. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said surface is inclined with respect to said plane of said nip.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 4 wherein said surface is made of electrostatically nonchargeable material.

6. The combination as set forth in claim 4 wherein said guide plate is of transparent glass.

7. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said surface extends from the plane of the horizontal axis of the upper roller of said detaching rollers.

8. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said surface temrinates in said detaching plane.

9. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein the ineluded angle between said guide plate and the plane of said nip is smaller than the included angle between said web tray with respect to the horizontal plane.

10. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said guide plate passes through said detaching plane.

11. The combination as set forth in claim 1 further comprising means pivotally mounting said web guide plate on a longitudinal axis of said web guide plate.

12. The combination as set forth in claim 11 wherein said longitudinal pivot axis is disposed centrally of said guide plate.

13. The combination as set forth in claim 11 which further comprises a clearer means pivotally mounted above said detaching rollers and means detachably securing said web guide plate in angular adjustable relation to said clearer means.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 35778LL5 Dated May 1971 Inventor) Hansulrich Eichenberger and Peter Schwengeler It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the Abstract Line 7, cancel the annular member in another cycle. movement of the pivotal members.

In the Description Column 1, line t, "combining" should be --combing-- Signed and sealed this 31st day of August 1971 (SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER, JR. WILLIAM E. SCHUILER, JR. Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents t FORM PO-IOSO (10-69) USCOMM-DC 5O376-F'59 U 3 KLOVEHNMFNY HUNTING OFFICE INS! OJu6 33-\ 

1. In combination with a rectilinear combing machine having at least one pair of fixedly mounted rotatable detaching rollers forming a nip for ejecting a web and a stationary web tray extending from said combing machine below said detaching rollers; a web guide plate above said web tray projecting into the free path of the ejected web for directing the web between said web tray and guide plate, said guide plate having a surface facing said web tray and said nip and extending from a plane above the detaching plane of sAid detaching rollers in front of the upper roller of said detaching rollers and being of a length of at most the length of said web tray.
 2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said guide plate is of greater longitudinal width than said detaching rollers.
 3. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said surface is smooth.
 4. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said surface is inclined with respect to said plane of said nip.
 5. The combination as set forth in claim 4 wherein said surface is made of electrostatically nonchargeable material.
 6. The combination as set forth in claim 4 wherein said guide plate is of transparent glass.
 7. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said surface extends from the plane of the horizontal axis of the upper roller of said detaching rollers.
 8. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said surface terminates in said detaching plane.
 9. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein the included angle between said guide plate and the plane of said nip is smaller than the included angle between said web tray with respect to the horizontal plane.
 10. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said guide plate passes through said detaching plane.
 11. The combination as set forth in claim 1 further comprising means pivotally mounting said web guide plate on a longitudinal axis of said web guide plate.
 12. The combination as set forth in claim 11 wherein said longitudinal pivot axis is disposed centrally of said guide plate.
 13. The combination as set forth in claim 11 which further comprises a clearer means pivotally mounted above said detaching rollers and means detachably securing said web guide plate in angular adjustable relation to said clearer means. 